Is the SA Highpower good yet?

[03RN]

With the Highpower airsoft my son got recently I'm really digging the Highpower. In terms of features the Springfield is absolutely perfect except the front sight.

Are they good yet?

[JonInWA]

Not likely. If you want a clone, my sources tell me you're better off with one of the Girsans.

Best, Jon

[SoCalDep]

I’m very happy with mine.

I picked it up around maybe Feb or March of this year. I’ve put around a total of 1,050 rounds through it. I have the exact round count somewhere, but it’s close to 550 rounds of a combination of Winchester Ranger-T and Federal HST in 147gr as well as a couple different manufacturers of FMJ.

I started by shooting a couple hundred rounds of the regular FMJ we use, which is Speer CleanFire 124gr. It had several failures to feed that to me seemed to be the case hanging on the extractor. I shot a hundred rounds of HST with no malfunctions so during a second session I fired about 400 rounds (I think a few rounds short) split between the Ranger and HST with no malfunctions at all. I went back to the CleanFire and had no malfunctions in the first 50 rounds, then started having the intermittent failure to feed on the second box. I switched to Winchester White Box 115gr for the final 200 rounds with no malfunctions. I finished up with a final 50 rounds of HST just to make me feel better and there were no issues.

I feel confident with it and it shoots really well. I can’t compare it to anything else except my recollection of the Browning HP Practical I had back in 2002ish that I never should have sold. I like the SA... It seems well made and finished, and it doesn’t bite my hand (but lets it know the hammer is there). The safety isn’t the most positive but it’s gotten much better with use, and I really like the sights. Once I get back home in a couple weeks I’m looking forward to carrying it here and there.

The Hi Power is the first centerfire handgun I ever shot... probably around 32-33 years ago. I’m glad SA got in the game and my hope is that they start to be responsive like Girsan has been and expand the line to offer various levels of quality and varieties of features. I’m not holding my breath, and in the mean time I feel the SA-35 was a good buy.

[CSW]

I've handled a Girsan, Ryan.
Very well built for a Turk, except for the spray and bake finish.
Everything was tight, and a definitive clik on the safety.
Was it as smooth as the '64 I used to own, or the Practical???....no, but it was a nice clone, that I'd consider if I was looking.

[oregon45]

Has there been any confirmation of where the frames and slides for the Springfield are manufactured?

[JonInWA]

Turkey.

Best, Jon

[Bruce Cartwright]

03RN:

My son and I purchased two of the SA-35s and both are under the 7000 serial number range. Both demonstrated significant extraction issues around the 500-round mark. The chambered and fired round would be partially extracted and the slide would continue to travel rearward, pick up the new round and then force the new/live round into the partially extracted case. I have detailed most of this in another thread. Both were sent back to Springfield Armory under the same return authorization number. Both were "fixed" according to Springfield Armory with the installation of a new extractor in each and returned to my family. Upon return, we began to shoot these guns. Both experienced the same extraction problems right around the 500-round mark. I returned mine first. My son returned his a couple of months later. Springfield installed a new extractor in each of our guns. After sending my son's gun back, I began having difficulty contacting Springfield Armory ("SA") and finally complained to a supervisor who intervened with the technician in question to have my son's gun returned. During the intermittent contact with the technician, I asked specific questions. I am paraphrasing the SA tech's responses but basically, I received two guns with defective extractors initially. Upon return, my pistol received yet another defective extractor. My son's pistol (returned a couple of months after I returned mine the second time) also received a defective extractor. I politely expressed my disbelief that this was a series of bad extractors. The tech never responded. ring the back and forth with the technician, I asked is SA was still using the same extractors that were defective installed on four separate occasions in pour pistols. The answer was in the affirmative.

The supervisor was most kind and helpful. She provided me with her email, and I detailed this sordid story to her. She promised to run it up the chain of command. That was approximately two months ago. I have heard nothing from SA, and I suspect I never will. The silver lining to this issue is that I will never buy anything else from SA. I cannot see expending my time/money/ammunition to have two more identical extractors (probably) fail. Since SA refuses to stand behind their products, I see no reason to give them any more of my hard-earned dollars. I will sell both SA-35s at a substantial discount and be done with it.

My suggestion is to buy a gently used FN or Browning and do whatever custom work you want to it and drive on. I understand that others have had different experiences and that is fine. Your mileage may vary and all that. I love the HP platform and am in the market for a decent used FN or Browning Mk III that I can customize and use in addition to my existing Mk II.

Hope that helps.

Bruce

[theJanitor]

Bruce,

Are you not inclined to send the pistols to a gunsmith for correction of the issues? You might come out ahead, seeing as though you already own the pistols. This might be one of those "The Devil you know" type of situations. Used FN's aren't the cheapest right now

[Bruce Cartwright]

Bruce,

Are you not inclined to send the pistols to a gunsmith for correction of the issues? You might come out ahead, seeing as though you already own the pistols. This might be one of those "The Devil you know" type of situations. Used FN's aren't the cheapest right now

Janitor:

I have thought about that. One of my friends is an accomplished high end 1911 pistolsmith and he offered. I am still undecided. My friend talked about fitting the extractor via the fitting pad. I was aware of that procedure and actually tried that with a brand new OEM Browning extractor. I was unsuccessful which is what leads me to believe that the extractor pin was drilled to far outboard the midline of the slide. While I am pretty handy with guns and files, I am not in the same league (or really same universe) as my friend. I could be wrong about all of this and would be happy to receive some education on this point if I am missing something.

I really wanted to make a go of using my SA-35 as my carry gun. I have pretty much transitioned to the HP as my daily carry gun (away from the admittedly useful but soulless S&W M&P). My first love was and always will be a good 1911 and the HP is, in my estimation, an improved 1911. After I added a beavertail to my existing FN, I started shooting the HP again and realized I actually shoot it slightly better than my 1911s. I was forced by regulation at my old job to carry a plastic gun. Those days are happily over. Every time I shot/shoot a 1911 or HP, it is like shaking the hand of an old friend. At this point in my life, carrying what I truly love is more important than carrying a piece of soulless plastic. Which is a long answer to a short question.

If you have any insight on this you can share, believe me, I am all ears. Thanks so much for prompting this discussion.

Bruce

P.S. Thanks for being a "bad" influence with your gorgeous 1911s and HPs. It's probably wrong to be covetous, but your Garthwaite HP is to die for!

[theJanitor]

If I had easy access to a professional, I'd at least send it for an eval. If it's wrongly built, then Id unload them or push SA for "lemon" replacements. If the smith says it's fixable, I'd likely lean toward letting him give it a tune-up. You'll feel confident about the other areas of the pistol, and you'll likely come out ahead in dollars and time (over selling, re-buying, customizing).

IMO the appeal of the SA35 isn't that it's gtg, out of the box. It's that SA has done the "minimum" work (sights, thumb safety, hammer), and a few dollars at the smith makes everything worthwhile.

For clarity, I was intending to do what I'm suggesting above, but I've lost interest, and will continue to do what's been great for me: Sit and wait for a great deal on a used custom.